Taking the Plunge

Before this wedding, I had the occasion to listen to the story of Brian and Edlynn, about how they met & how their relationship developed through the years. Many of you probably know their story. Some of you may even have played an important part in it. For this reason, your presence here is significant because each of you represents some key moments in their personal stories; each of you symbolizes an important part of their selves. Today, Brian and Edlynn will gather their memories, they will gather their selves, part of which each of you symbolizes, and with our prayers, they will ask the Lord to fuse their separate lives and separated stories into one and to bless their new life together.

There are two things that have drawn Brian and Edlynn to each other. And these two things are: beauty and the deep.

They are involved in the science and art of capturing and creating beauty on print and they both love diving. So my having no actual diving experience notwithstanding, allow me to offer three diving lessons to our couples:

Diving lesson #1: Preparation and patience are a must. You don’t have to be an expert to know that diving, which can be so exhilarating, and life giving can also be fatal and life threatening. Hence, the imperative for deliberate preparation, for precision and care for your own gear, for your own resources.

And should you find yourselves in unfamiliar and threatening situations underwater, never panic. Never act impulsively. In the deep, patience is a virtue with a high premium.

In the same way, as you, Brian and Edlynn, take this other kind of plunge, remember that preparation and patience are just as crucial. As you enter into the married life, it is important to know your gear, to be aware of what your resources are, and to learn how to use them. Likewise, if you find yourselves in unfamiliar and stormy situations, what you have learned in all your years of diving will come out handy: Patience. Do not panic. Do not act impulsively. Wait.

Diving lesson # 2: Always watch your buddy. As you know all too well, trust between diving buddies is so important. When you to go the deep, where there is no room for words, a whole new language is required between you. There are seasons in our lives where there may be no space or time for words. I hope that you have begun to do, you will continue to develop your special language so that you will always be able to communicate w2ith each other no matter what.

Diving lesson #3: As you know, he world that opens up to the diver is so charged with beauty-new colors and corals-if only the diver opens his or her eyes. You only need to look.

Marriage is an invitation to the deep, but it is also an invitation to beauty, beauty that can be discovered and found only in the deep. We, your family and friends, who love you and care for you both, have seen glimmers of the beauty that each of you holds in the depths of your persons. We are confident that you will each discover more of this beauty in your years together-if only you open your eyes. You only need to look.

And remember, just as God desires that the diver who is given the rare privilege of discovering the beauty of the deep take care of whatever he sees and finds, likewise God, Who creates beauty and holds the deep in his hands, desires that you, Brian and Edlynn take care of the treasures you each find in the depths of one another. Our prayers are with you on this joyous day.